Using Setting Circles

[Whippy]

Phil, it's certainly possible to do a mod to illuminate the polarscope on a HEQ5, mine had one . I can't see it being hugely difficult but I'm sure if do a bit of googling, something will come up.

Tony..

[philsail1]

Good on you "steelrat!" (but watch that back!)

Tony - was your illumination built in as standard, or did you (or someone else) install it?

Good idea, I will try the internet!

Regards,

Phil.

[The Warthog]

Here: http://www.awrtech.co.uk/illum.htm you will find a polarscope illuminator. I dug up the previous thread on this subject.

[Whippy]

Nice one WH, I see it covers the EQ5 which is handy for me as the all metal casing of the CG/EQ5 would make it difficult to mod one .

Phil, I bought it with the mod already in place as in it was installed by someone before I got my hands on it, but that link for the illuminator unit looks pretty good t'me.

Tony..

[SteelRat]

Next build for the 3/2

[The Warthog]

A little red LED beside the polarscope should do it.

[SteelRat]

Heheheheh, I said build didn't I?!?!?!

Ooooohhhhhhhhhh... Mercy! Heh

[Astroman]

My suggestion for setting circles, as far as I've had any success with them, is to carefully wedge a screwdriver under them, pop them off, and throw them away. Then either star-hop, or get a goto mount.

Heresy! Using your circles is just another skill set, and an important one, at that. A little patience, a little practice, and a little calm analysis will win through, and you'll be able to find anything without resorting to GOTO. (And, I might add, adding a whole new set of questions on why GOTO doesn't work.)

True, some mounts are deficient in this area, but with a decent finder scope, good polar alignment and the knowledge it takes to use your circles, you can succeed.

[Cloudwatcher]

Heresy! Using your circles is just another skill set, and an important one, at that. A little patience, a little practice, and a little calm analysis will win through, and you'll be able to find anything without resorting to GOTO. (And, I might add, adding a whole new set of questions on why GOTO doesn't work.)

I'm sure you are right but in the dark how do read the damn things!

CW

[philsail1]

Good "AWR" link "Warthog." At £750 it's a bit on the expensive side. If I was considering "go to" I think I would go for the standard Skywatcher up-grade at £300+ from FLO. I liked the LED Polarscope light for £20.00. It's given me inspiration to pay a visit to my local "Maplins" in Chester to price up the components required to make a DIY version. I'm sure there's enough room iside the casing of the HEQ5. If I can't optain the components, I will buy from AWR.

Thanks again for your replies.

regards,

Phil Edwards (philsail1)

[philsail1]

You're and inspiration to us all "Astroman!" I am going to persevere, and master the S.Circles. However, I may still go for the "go To" set up next year. As I said in earlier replies, it is the time factor which is against me. I just want to get out with my scope, view several objects in the time (and weather window) I may have on any particular evening.

Regards,

Phil.

[Astroman]

Heresy! Using your circles is just another skill set, and an important one, at that. A little patience, a little practice, and a little calm analysis will win through, and you'll be able to find anything without resorting to GOTO. (And, I might add, adding a whole new set of questions on why GOTO doesn't work.)

I'm sure you are right but in the dark how do read the damn things!

CW

Left to right, just like anything else. 8) Sorry, couldn't resist.

Right ascension increases west to east. Always. So, as you turn your scope west to east, follow the numbers that increase as you go. It's funny someone complained about a "universal standard", or something, when having two sets of numbers on the ring is the universal standard. Once you learn which one to use, you won't forget.

If your remark concerns seeing the numbers in the dark, I used my trusty red flashlight, ("torch" to you over the pond), until I installed a couple red LED's on a 30 second timer to light at the push of a button.

[barkis]

Sorry for butting in late in this post.

I think the the more mature people on SGL, and by mature, I mean been alive longer, are probably more at home with setting circles.

I can honestly say I used them for years with enormous success, and I never failed to find a target using them. The larger the better, Mine were 10" in diameter, both Declination and Right Ascension. Of course it helped that I made my own mount, where these large circles were factored into the build. In particular, the RA circle was positioned and mounted in such a way, that I could directly index any object visible in the night sky. In effect with the drive left running, and the first object located, the large circle became a sidereal clock. I had a red light illuminating it, and it's large numbers and divisions were easy to read. My scope was of course permanently mounted in a domed observatory, which simplifies things a great deal. I am a devotee of setting circles, and a great tool which is also educational, and a boon to learning the sky.

Ron.

[Cloudwatcher]

Ron,a man with 10" setting circles can butt in any time he likes in my book!

Now, they would be easy to read. That must have been some setup! Any pictures?

Yours in awe

CW

[barkis]

Ron,a man with 10" setting circles can butt in any time he likes in my book!

Now, they would be easy to read. That must have been some setup! Any pictures?

Yours in awe

CW

I will have a ratch around CW, but dont hold your breath. I have had so many clear outs this last couple of years, I am beginning to think most of my life has been recycled. If I find anything worthwhile, I will post it up. Promise.

Ron.

[Astroman]

Sounds nice, Ron. The circles on my C8 are ~9" RA and 4" Dec. Not bad and certainly bigger than your typical GEM mount. The ones I've made for the 16" F/5 are 14" RA and 12" dec. Dec is marked in degrees, with plenty of room to interpolate to ~20' while the RA is marked down to minutes. I'll take a couple pics if I remember.

Circles in pro domes I've seen have ranged much bigger. The Pluto scope at Lowell, for instance, has RA marked around a ring that's roughly 6' in diameter, as is the declination circle on the 24" Clarke. They actually read the dec on the Clarke with binoculars! :shock: 8)

Yes, larger ones are easier to read, but you still have to learn to read them, right?

[Cloudwatcher]

The ones I've made for the 16" F/5 are 14" RA and 12" dec. I'll take a couple pics if I remember.

Size isn't everything you know! (Said with hands on hips whilst looking at his 3 incher)

I will not be submitting pictures!

CW

[Greg]

Having just the EQ3/2 at the moment I have been out the past few nights just using the setting circles, zipping around the sky finding all sorts of stuff.

I found it very rewarding ..Move the scope to the coordinates and et voila...

I wrote this ages ago..HTH..

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php?topic=2455.0

Greg

[Cloudwatcher]

Having just the EQ3/2 at the moment I have been out the past few nights just using the setting circles, zipping around the sky finding all sorts of stuff.

I found it very rewarding ..Move the scope to the coordinates and et voila...

Greg

I agree with what you say and indeed I do use the setting circles on my non Goto mounts even if I don't.... 'do it in French'.

My complaint,if it is such, is with the 'seeing' of the scales. On all the mounts I have these are black on silver and at a dark site, even with ones trusty red torch/flashlight to hand they do not exactly leap out at one.

Does any manufacturer produce mounts with luminous setting circles?

CW

[Greg]

Does any manufacturer produce mounts with luminous setting circles?

Mmm...Good idea..I'm not aware of any manufacturer doing this...

Probably find that it would be available on the more expensive mounts which come with GOTO anyway..

Greg

[Macavity]

If your remark concerns seeing the numbers in the dark, I used my trusty red flashlight, ("torch" to you over the pond), until I installed a couple red LED's on a 30 second timer to light at the push of a button.

Any broad hints on the latter? Bought or homebrew? Somewhere I have a plastic bag of TTL ICs (Ask not, from where!). Have to get out my "Boys book of 'lectronics". Maybe just a monostable... Microswitches, I got - Sourced from defunct PC Mouses (Mice?). Probably be useful in my RDF, which usually gets left on

[philsail1]

Right ascension increases west to east. Always. So, as you turn your scope west to east, follow the numbers that increase as you go. It's funny someone complained about a "universal standard", or something, when having two sets of numbers on the ring is the universal standard. Once you learn which one to use, you won't forget.

If your remark concerns seeing the numbers in the dark, I used my trusty red flashlight, ("torch" to you over the pond), until I installed a couple red LED's on a 30 second timer to light at the push of a button.

This is a very useful (and vital) bit of information to me "Astroman." I also found "Gregs" tutorial on using setting circles, very useful. I think what we "learners" could do with is a tutorial that contains ALL the useful (and I repeat - "Vital") bits of information such as you mention above "Astroman," (and set out clearly like you and Greg have done) which would help enormously to give anyone just setting out a clear understanding of how to use them. As I mentioned quite early on in this thread, I found a useful tutorial on "Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews" written by a chap called "Rinaldo" and the most useful (and to me enlightening) bit of information (which suddenly made it all perfectly clear to me) was the bit where he explained "how to tell if your delineation circle is on a "minus" or "plus" reading." Until I read that piece of info, I had been confused about the two sets of figures (which are not marked as "+" or "-" on my declination setting circle) and how to use them. Now when I link this bit of information with what you have said, it all becomes that much more clear!

Sorry to be so long winded about this, but I just feel it would be so useful (and save a lot of people like me asking endless questions and wanting in depth explanations - even though I realise that you more experienced (and clever) astronomers out there are willing and kind enough to point us in the right direction - on how to use setting circles.

As some other members have said, there can be great satisfaction, pleasure, and a sense of achievement in being able to find celestial objects when one has mastered the use of manual setting circles. It does seem a shame that many beginners are quickly put off by the seemingly complexities of setting circles, to the point of not even considering using them, and opting immediately for "go to" set ups.

Again, I would like to say a big thankyou to all who are putting a lot of time into clarifying this issue - I think a great many of us will really benefit from this topic alone.

Regards,

Phil Edwards (Philsail1)

[barkis]

The ones I've made for the 16" F/5 are 14" RA and 12" dec. I'll take a couple pics if I remember.

Size isn't everything you know! (Said with hands on hips whilst looking at his 3 incher)

I will not be submitting pictures!

CW

It's the hands on hips bit you ought to be mindfull of C Dubya.

[barkis]

Hi again CW. I had a look for pictures but the cupboard was bare. I found the originall circles from which I made the 10" ones.

I blew these up in size after scanning them. I stuck the resultant images onto some White .25" thick Acrylic sheet, and engraved the divisions on to that. The numbers for the hours and minutes. Then degrees and minutes for the Dec. circle, were got from Letterset sheets from Thurnhams Stationers. The divisions were then brought out in relief by rubbing black paint into them.

The pictures are of the original discs. The 8" reflector I made had the circles on it first, and subsequently transferred to my 12" scope.

Actually, the 12" went straight on to the same mount, as it was robust enough to take a much larger telescope.

You can see the disc clearly on the declination shaft, but only a part of it can be seen on the RA shaft.

The scope picture was taken inside the dome I built, a picture of which is also included.

Now, I know there is nothing pretty about these home made devices, but don't be deceived by appearance, they all functioned very well.

I didn't have the financial resources to by off the shelf, and prices relatively, were quite steep, so It was make my own or do without.

Anyway, these enterprises kept me out of the pub, which made the wife a bit happier. Just a bit mind you.

Cheers Ron.

[Astroman]

If your remark concerns seeing the numbers in the dark, I used my trusty red flashlight, ("torch" to you over the pond), until I installed a couple red LED's on a 30 second timer to light at the push of a button.

Any broad hints on the latter? Bought or homebrew? Somewhere I have a plastic bag of TTL ICs (Ask not, from where!). Have to get out my "Boys book of 'lectronics". Maybe just a monostable... Microswitches, I got - Sourced from defunct PC Mouses (Mice?). Probably be useful in my RDF, which usually gets left on

The LEDs and timer are homebrewed. If you are electronics savvy, you can use a 555 timer chip to power the LED's with a 9v battery. (My former career was electronics technician, and dragged on for lasted 25+ years.) I wired the thing up in about an hour. The switch mounted through a hole in the strut for my C8 and the wires were taped to the upright as well.